Well, the Russia thing just got a bit more interesting. Because we have an offer. According to Championat.com, via HoopsHype, Russian superpower CSKA Moscow is in talks with Durant’s representation for a deal worth around $1 million per month. Not too bad.

If you recall, Kobe’s reported offer from China is for something like $1.5 million. So Durant obviously is carrying a similar global reputation. Deron Williams’ Turkish deal was only for $250,000 a month. Take that, Zach Lowe. (Only kidding.) Keep Reading…

Really for Perk, his weekend arrest really didn’t carry much of any punishment. It was just a misdemeanor charge, he got out on $150 bail and with a little community service, I’m sure he’ll be able to move past whatever happened at a bar in his hometown of Beaumont, TX.

But Perk sees the punishment of public perception and embarrassment as too much to ignore. Which is why he’s going on the offensive.

Again, Tuesday he denied claims made by police after his arrest for public intoxication. Through a lawyer’s statement, Perkins claims he was actually injured during whatever happened and even considered a police brutality complaint. And now, there’s more. Via the Oklahoman, a publicist for Perkins says he was only having water at the bar and there are witnesses to verify it.

“Although these may be misdemeanors, it’s a big deal to Kendrick,” said Denise White, his publicist. “He’s not happy about how things happened that evening and feels like the police were out of hand … He was not drinking alcohol, nor was he intoxicated. Not one drop of alcohol Friday night. We’re not sure why they said Kendrick was intoxicated. There are witnesses inside the club that will attest to Kendrick only drinking water that evening.”

How can we be sure about this? We can’t, because evidently police did not administer a breathalyzer or take a blood test. And if you’ve ever heard Perk talk, it might be kind of difficult to tell if he’s been drinking or not. That slow Texas drawl makes it sound like he’s slurring everything. I mean, doesn’t it seem a bit strange that he was arrested for public intoxication and they didn’t actually prove he was intoxicated? Does to me. Keep Reading…

Even with his league locked out, Kevin Durant has still had himself quite a busy summer. He went to China. He’s torn up every pro-am league from coast-to-coast. He got some new ink. He’s made appearances, helped at camps, hosted camps and of course, worked tirelessly on his game.

He needs a vacation. So he’s asking for your help. Last night, he tweeted: “I gotta take a vacation one of these days…any suggestions?”

OK then, well here are a few from me and knowing KD’s interests and what he’s probably looking for, I think they’re pretty good. Keep Reading…

Zach Lowe of SI finishes his top 100 and ranks KD No. 8: “Durant sits at No. 8 because the players ahead of him are amazing, and because he still has work to do — and he knows it. His off-the-dribble game is shaky, meaning he often relies on his teammates to pass him the ball in the right place. The league’s elite wing defenders, especially physical guys like Tony Allen, can deny Durant the ball and bump him off his preferred path, mucking up entire possessions. This is one reason the Thunder’s late-game offense produced such cruddy shots in big moments.” Of note: The three in front of Durant on Lowe’s list: Deron Williams, Chris Paul and Kobe. I’ll let you guys yell about this for me.

Perk’s publicist to The Oklahoman, trying to clear his name: “Although these may be misdemeanors, it’s a big deal to Kendrick,” said Denise White. “He’s not happy about how things happened that evening and feels like the police were out of hand … He was not drinking alcohol, nor was he intoxicated. Not one drop of alcohol Friday night. We’re not sure why they said Kendrick was intoxicated. There are witnesses inside the club that will attest to Kendrick only drinking water that evening.” Keep Reading…

Kevin Durant’s crossover is getting to the point where it’s not just a nasty little move he can bust out on occasion for funs. It’s quickly become a move. Like a dirty, filthy, disgusting move. In [insert pickup game] over the weekend, KD and Sacramento Kings forward Donte Greene traded crossovers. Greene’s was nice. A quick move on Durant that led to a serious dunk.

But Durant’s was the kind where you don’t even have to shoot after. Greene went tumbling backwards and already before KD even attempted his jumper, he’d won. He could’ve just flipped the ball back to Greene and went the other way. It’s one of those moves that as KD starts his sequence of breaking down Greene, the crowd is starting to rumble (hrrrmm) and then as KD tests Greene with the first little cross and backs him off, the noise jumpers (ahhh) and when he breaks out the big move, everyone just lets it all out (OOOOOOOOOOOHAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH). Love that.

Durant’s used this cross at time — quite effectively, I might add — but I’ve seen it a ton in these pickup videos this summer. KD’s always had a solid handle, but he’s getting more comfortable with it, especially in terms of using it to create space and find a good look. Which is one of the few things Durant can improve upon — creating his own shot with space. Looks like he didn’t have much trouble there.

Kendrick Perkins had himself a weekend. The kind where you end up in jail. (I think that’s officially called “The Charlie Sheen,” isn’t it?) He was arrested for, as police said, trying to fight everyone at a bar, including the manager, while being drunk. He was hit with a public intoxication and disorderly conduct charge.

But Perk is saying he’s innocent. Through his lawyer, he released this statement, via kiiitv.com: “Mr. Perkins has maintained his innocence to the charges and is recovering at home with family suffering from injuries he received during the incident.”

His attorney even says they are considering filing a police brutality complaint against the officers. Perkins’ lawyer says there are different accounts being given by witnesses as to what happened Saturday night in Beaumont than what police are reporting. Keep Reading…

ESPN’s rolling out a project ranking the top 500 “NBA” players. Robert Vaden (499) was the first Thunderer to appear with Byron Mullens at 462 and Cole Aldrich and Reggie Jackson popping up in the 420s. Yay?

Zach Lowe of SI is in the top 20 of his list and has Russell Westbrook 12th: “In other words: After three NBA seasons, Westbrook has some work to do to reach his potential as a point guard. He’s 22, and he barely played point guard before entering the NBA. Too much of this criticism missed a very fundamental thing, though: The Thunder had a top-five offense all season with Westbrook leading the way. Scoring was not Oklahoma City’s problem, in the big picture. It ranked so high despite starting Thabo Sefolosha at shooting guard; monkeying around with Jeff Green, who just didn’t fit; trading Green for Kendrick Perkins, a limited offensive player who was limited even more as he recovered from a knee injury; and relying on Serge Ibaka, a raw offensive player, to take Green’s minutes.” Keep Reading…

All along, I’ve taken the position that I wouldn’t get too upset about this lockout until games are actually missed. Because right now, nothing is all that different in the NBA world other than we missed Summer League and didn’t get a couple weeks of players signing extensions and with new teams. Blah blah, I know the sides are really far apart and that it’s looking pretty dreadful, but there isn’t a real reason to get THAT angry.

Well, wasn’t a real reason. Because with last week’s stuff about David Stern being unavailable for two weeks (allegedly) and meetings being cancelled because of scheduling conflicts — that’s sort of miffing me off. All I want is a real — a REAL — effort to get a deal done before the middle of September when games would be missed. I want legitimate movement towards the middle. Just something to say that these greedy owners and these greedy players actually have the best interest of the game and fans in mind.

Because right now, I’m not getting that impression. All I’m getting is that they don’t really give a crap about what happens right now. Which is a message I’m not loving. Anyway, on to your letters: Keep Reading…